Despite the health emergency caused by Covid-19 and, in order to be prepared for the full resumption of activity once the restrictions imposed by successive alarm states have been overcome, Ciment Català has developed in recent weeks a continuous institutional action. Among the various actions carried out, contacts at the highest level stand out in virtual business meetings with the Departments of Business and Knowledge and Digital Policies and Public Administration of the Generalitat, as well as specific sessions and contacts with the Catalan Water Agency, the Catalan Waste Agency and with the Mining Security Service of the General Mining Sub-directorate.

Regarding the first line of work, representatives of the Catalan cement sector met on April 22 with the counselor Àngels Chacón (Business and Knowledge) in the framework of a digital meeting organized by PIMEC in the face of the coronavirus crisis. The meeting discussed the measures that have been taken and the plan for lack of confidence in dealing with this complex situation. Also in this sense, the virtual meeting of May 7 with the counselor Jordi Puigneró (Digital Policies and Public Administration) organized by Fomento del Trabajo, in the context of its Digital Society commission, aimed at deepening the role of policies and the digital ecosystem in post-confinement.

Of a more practical nature have still been the contacts with the Catalan Waste Agency, on sanitary waste management; the virtual meeting with representatives of the Wastewater Sanitation Area of ​​the Catalan Water Agency, regarding the energy recovery of dry sludge from urban wastewater treatment plants; and contact with the Mining Safety Service of the General Sub-Directorate of Mines of the Generalitat regarding the ongoing work of the new Working Group on Mining Safety Regulations. In contact with the Catalan Waste Agency, the sector has confirmed that it was prepared in case it was required by the administration for the management of medical waste, which was not ultimately necessary.

A relevant aspect of Ciment Català‘s actions has been to promote the activation, as immediately as possible, of investment plans in infrastructure and housing that allow a rapid recovery of economic activity and the consequent return to normal citizenship. In the opinion of the cement industry, the driving force of the Construction sector and its ability to induce activity and employment should be the lever that limits the damage to the country’s economy caused by the health emergency. Furthermore, the availability of adequate infrastructures will facilitate the increase in the competitiveness of all sectors, from logistics to tourism, at a very difficult juncture for all citizens and companies.